The Test of Loyalty
by Stylesus
Summary: Is the death of Aragorn merely an accident? Or is it the rising of a new evil? However, Gondor is now in a great peril......
1. The Night

The Test of Loyalty  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing of LoTR. Disclaimer always being a useful tool to avoid sues.  
  
Chapter One  
  
The Night  
  
The sky was dark and low, the air was chokey and dreary. Thunder was marching from the distance, roaring. The troops of storm trample the mountains. Rocks crushed down from the cliffs, water rioted to the banks.  
  
Dark hung over the city of Gondor - Minas Tirith.  
  
On the empty street, little candlelight can be seen from the distance. The people of Minas Tirith huddled in their houses with fears.  
  
Inside the Great Gate, the palace of Gondor looks out upon its people. Surrounded by darkness, no longer resplendence.  
  
" Aragorn! Son of Arathorn, bearer of the Star of North! Awake .." Arwen whimpered as the thunder snarled outside.  
  
On the bed, Aragorn half closed his eyes struggles with the twinge in his chest, whose face twisted by pains, hard to blew out even a word.  
  
Gimli was sitting on a chair nearby, afraid to even look at his friend, his head was filled by miseries. Closed his eyes in terror, remembered the horrible scene that Aragorn laid on the floor with blood all over his body and a dagger in his chest.  
  
" Gandalf, is there any hope left?" asked Gimli anxiously.  
  
Gandalf sighed and shook his head in exhaustion, " The hands of king are the hands of healer," he paused for a while, " this is a wound that the king can't even surpasses it himself."  
  
Looked out from the window, starred at the darkness, Legolas shuddered as he heard the words of Gandalf. Slowly he stood up, left the window and fell into his own thoughts.  
  
In the dreadful silence, Aragorn spoke vaguely. There was an abruptly flash back in Aragorn's mind: a fainted outline of a dark shape.  
  
"Traitor ... Traitor .." Aragorn murmured, suddenly opened his eyes.  
  
Everyone came upon, surprised by the words.  
  
"Who's the traitor?!" Gimli asked Aragorn afire with rage, who hated traitors the most.  
  
"Traitor.Traitor." Aragorn kept calling the word with hatefulness and great fears in his eyes.  
  
"But my lord, this is the time to determine the great affairs of Gondor." Said one of the ministers stood beside Legolas, whose name was Scutz. He had a lined and wrinkled face, though he wasn't as old as his appearance, maybe he just too worried about the "great affairs".  
  
"How you dare to ask this question? For this isn't your business." Legolas queried.  
  
"As a citizen of this country. I bet everyone is worrying about the future of Gondor by now." Replied Scutz coldly.  
  
"Alas! Scutz may be right," said another minister, "as we all know, the throne of Gondor doesn't have an heir."  
  
"Then let's find a suitable advisor to manage the realm in this roily time. We have to be hasten, the time is running out!" Scutz "recommended" in a "worrying" voice.  
  
"The Queen could organize the realm herself. Scutz, you needn't be concern about this," said Gandalf silently.  
  
"But, but it is hard for one to work alone. However, even if the Queen." Explained another minister.  
  
"Enough of these. The Queen has her own decisions. Pray manage your own!" Gandalf frowned.  
  
"For this is the tradition." Scutz continued.  
  
"Scutz! I wonder why these business interested you so much?!" Gimli exclaimed impatiently.  
  
"You aren't even our race, so how do you know the laws and traditions of Gondor?" Scutz stared at Gimli with his pale eyes.  
  
"Advisor or not advisor, you should ask the King himself! No one else should involve in this but the King and the Queen. This is a tradition which uses in anywhere of Middle Earth." Legolas said crossly.  
  
"This is neither a good place nor a good time for altercating! For these decisions should made by the King or the people." Said Gandalf in rage.  
  
"Traitor!" Aragorn exclaimed this last word by using all his strength.  
  
Aragorn shuttered. A shudder like cold water went through his whole body like lightning. The last thought swiftly slides over his mind. Aragorn opened his mouth hardly, ".. tr.i. te."  
  
"No!." cried Arwen, she almost fell on to the floor.  
  
Few minutes later, after the last struggle of the king of Gondor, everything fell into silence. But the hatefulness and the fears of death remained still in the king's eyes.  
  
"Traitor! Who would be the traitor! Tell me! Traitor, come out!" Gimli was throwing all his rage and shames on a short bench.  
  
Gandalf was looking at the dagger all over the blood of Aragorn: "The usurper was quite cunning, it's hard to say now, but there'll always be a clue."  
  
Legolas had think over these things for several days. He was concerned about the loyal of Scutz, and most important: Scutz's truth. But it was hardly to see Scutz's real face behind his "not very good mask".  
  
"Hey! My dear friend, what are you thinking about? You seems really different recently," Gimli was sitting beside Legolas in their own carriage on the way back to Mirkwood.  
  
Legolas sighed, "There would be lots of things going on these days," Legolas looked at his old friend, "I was worry about the safety of Arwen the Evenstar and the faith of that Scutz." Legolas murmured to himself.  
  
"Ah, here, finally! Mirkwood!" Gimli said to Legolas. 


	2. The Breaking

A/N: truly thanks to the suggestions of "LOTR Sparkling Pippin" and "Legolasluffsme". Welcome come to more advises!  
  
Disclaimer: You all know I've nothing, really don't want to repeat these kind of words again in the following chapters...  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The Break  
  
"Father!" Legolas the Greenleaf exclaimed with pleasure and jumped down from his carriage.  
  
The king of Mirkwood was standing beside the road with his servants. He smiled happily as he saw his son running towards him.  
  
"Father, I'm really glad to see you again." Said Legolas with exhaustions in his eyes.  
  
"So do I! But what's happened my son? You seem really tired." Thranduil asked softly as he saw the sadness and tiredness in Legolas' eyes.  
  
"It was- " Legolas paused when he saw the servants behind Thranduil, "it's nothing, nothing..." He repeated the words in whispering.  
  
Thranduil had realized there are something Legolas hidden from him, "Well! Welcome to our prince's back and our dear dwarf friend!" Thranduil broke the ice, and Gimli bowed politely, "What are you waiting for, come and prepare for the celebrate! Come! Come!" The king said to his servants and laughed merrily.  
  
"I've realized that you have some hidden from me today. Now, my son, what's going wrong?" Thranduil asked again during the celebration.  
  
"Father, yes you're right. There is something wrong, but it's worse than you thought," Legolas paused, drank some wine from the cup, and lowered his voice, "A really bad omen perhaps. Estel was... dead."  
  
"How?" Thranduil frowned, "we've just met days before. Someone plot a murder on the king?"  
  
"Yes. Someone, someone stabbed a dagger into the King's chest." Legolas sighed. The fears in Aragorn's eyes returned in his mind.  
  
"A traitor, Aragorn said it was a traitor who stabbed the dagger, the unforgivable traitor and dagger!" Gimli said the words between his teeth.  
  
After a long time of silence, Thranduil picked up his goblet again: "How about Gandalf? How does he think about this usurper?"  
  
"Userper?" Legolas surprised.  
  
"The target of this murder is definitely the diadem of Gondor. Elfstone was just the first victim." Thranduil explained.  
  
"Un.. Father, can I excused, I'm rather tired these days."  
  
"Of course, of course. Good night my son, and have a good sleep."  
  
After Legolas and Gimli were left, Thranduil fallen into the abyss of his thoughts.  
  
"Ah! Help!" The next morning, a terrible scream of a servant came out from Legolas' bedroom. Thranduil woke up from a horrible dream, ran into Legolas' room.  
  
"Oh, my goodness!" exclaimed a servant among the panic people.  
  
On the ground, it was Legolas, with blood all over his cloth and a dagger stabbed deeply into his heart. Legolas' eyes closed tightly in terror, and a broken arrow beneath his body.  
  
Gimli was knelt beside Legolas' body and cried for his friend, "no.. does this mean that Legolas is the second victim?"  
  
"I've never thought my son would be the victim of fighting of Gondor...." Thranduil picked up the arrow under Legolas' back held tightly in his hand. The symbol of Mirkwood on the arrow shined in sadness.  
  
"Why? Why does this disaster ever came to Mirkwood, ever came to my palace, ever came to my son?! Why?" cried Thranduil in despair, then he fell on to the ground. 


	3. Darkened And Deepened

A Farewell To The Prosperities  
  
It was late afternoon in Gondor, the third day of King Elessar's death. The city of Minas Tirith was clouded, and the wind blew even harder and nipper.  
  
Two Mirkwood elves were talking along the lifeless street, who sent by Thranduil to the funeral of the King.  
  
"This is an ominous of the future of Gondor." Said one of them.  
  
"Alas! Maybe it's just a start, who knows what's going to happen next." Replied the other elf in an exhausted voice. It was a long way from Mirkwood to Gondor.  
  
"Maybe the death of Legolas is also related t..."  
  
"Sh.! Don't even talk about that. This isn't a place to investigate these affairs! I can feel that someone is watching us." The other elf warned. But he was right. Not very far away, under the shadow of a stake, dark and umbraged, someone was watching in silent.  
  
Since it was winter, the day was short. No longer than two hours later, it's already pitch-dark.  
  
The White Tower soundlessly loomed afar, only a bind of caliginous light shot out from the high window. Inside the high chamber of the White Tower, a council was holding.  
  
"The people of Gondor were pleased for you came hither to support them in such a perilous and dark time." Announced Gandalf the White, now the Deputy Chief Advisor of Gondor.  
  
"Whom shall the throne accede to?" a hesitated small voice asked. Except Gandalf (who was beside the questioner), no one else heard it.  
  
The question made the Chief Advisor shook, for this is a problem that worried some of the wiser in Gondor for long, because the Throne of Gondor didn't have an heir.  
  
"Peregrin Took! Think over something before you speak them out!" Gandalf commanded in a cold and almost threatening low voice. It was right for Gandalf to stop Pippin from continue on. Because those were the things that even an alien shouldn't know about.  
  
The Hobbit stood by wall, who was on charge to protect the council with the other soldiers of Gondor.  
  
"Where is that Scutz?!" interrupted Gimli in an impatient voice, who came back from Mirkwood in a great haste.  
  
"Scutz? Who is that?" Faramir questioned, who was temporarily representing Rohirrim. (Because of Eowen the Fair)  
  
"Scutz was a minister of Gondor, but is now the Vice Advisor." Said a captain of Gondor.  
  
"Scutz." murmured an elf sent by Elrond, representing Rivendell, "I think I've heard that name before." But he didn't continue, and no one else asked for Scutz.  
  
Time past fast, it was near midnight when the council drew to an end. The ancient bell rang from afar.  
  
The next day was the ritual of the Farewell of the great king. It was a hard time for Gandalf: the one who coronate Aragorn and the one who now hosted the Farewell.  
  
Under the heavy rain, a host people of Gondor knelt before the palace and tried to recall their prosperities. But everything was needless and useless by now. Their great leader was leaving them second by second, and then, gone into the sprays of the great river of Anduin.  
  
"Where is Legolas? Why didn't he come with you?" Scutz asked Gimli half sarcastically before the Farewell started.  
  
"Why should you manage so many things? I wonder how you keep your energy." Gimli asked crossly.  
  
"But you weren't answering the question. It is strange to see the king's friend doesn't want to say a farewell." Scutz didn't seem to stop.  
  
"Fine! Tell you this, Legolas is exhausted right now, he is too tired and sad to come over to any place." Gimli rarely lie, but he knew it was no good for him to say that Legolas was dead and he knew this wouldn't be a secret for long.  
  
The ancient bell rang again, and the Farewell started.  
  
Queen Arwen came upon to the stairs, " In this sad day, we departed with our great leader," she paused, "forever. But we'll remember what he had brought to us, to Gondor, and to Middle Earth," She lifted her head and stared afar, she clearly saw a moving shadow behind a tree.  
  
"Though this is a perilous t 


	4. Befallen of Unsafe

A/N: There would probably be some grammar or spelling mistakes in the first three chapters and this one. I know clearly that English isn't my first language, and English isn't my strong point, so don't you worry about those mistakes! I'm just writing this to clarify my English skill. Thanks for the reviews and ENJOY the story! (At least I hope so.) (  
  
Befallen of Unsafe  
  
Chapter Four  
  
During the funeral of King Elessar, Arwen was trying to control herself from sobs and cries. But now, back in her own palace, looked around, sought for the lost glories and happiness, she could hide her emotions no more. She knelt before the throne of Gondor sobbed and cried as her heart broken. Arwen felt her entire body was tearing into fragments, and thousands of millions of bees were humming around her head. Her heart iced and rocked, her eyes were dried; she could handle this no more; she collapsed and despaired.  
  
Sat alone in the immense and empty hall, Arwen could hear her own breath between the wall and wall. In the horrent silence, Arwen watched the high ceiling quietly, she sighed heavily, but no more tears came out from her eyes. She settled herself beside the venerable throne, every single flash of splendor returned to her mind, she born no sadness, nor hatefulness, her face was still-- as still as a sculpture.  
  
Sighed, cried, ashamed. she hoped all of these were just a terrible nightmare, though she knew clearly it was in reality. Now, Arwen's only wish was this catastrophe would be all over soon, and then she'll use all her strength to get Gondor's glory back. But her thoughts were too simple. She had underestimated her hidden enemy's aim and its capability.  
  
The air in the hall was still enough to make anyone suffocated. Among the tranquil air, Arwen sat with no emotions on her face, she sighed because of no reason, she thought she was losing her sanity..  
  
Bing! Arwen abruptly lifted up her head, she saw nothing, but a shiny decoration dangling against the wall.  
  
Arwen was an elf after all, and her hearing was keen. There was a swooping sound in the end of the bright hall, although it was a rather quiet night, no wind no rain.  
  
"Who is it?!" Arwen swiftly stood up, cautiously looked around.  
  
Swoop!  
  
"Who is it! Show your face while you can!"  
  
A flame as bright as the sun itself suddenly lighted up the hall. Arwen could hardly see anything in the sun bright light. She tightly closed her eyes. But in the brightness, she saw something coming toward her. Compare with the lightness, the object was dark, pitch-dark. As if in dream or fog, Arwen vaguely saw the outline of a person, tall and lined, and was holding a long sword-like thing in his hand. She was shocked, frightened and tried to call for help.  
  
The bright flame slowly faded, as if the wind started to blow. Arwen opened and lifted her eyes up. The man with the long sword was right towering above her.  
  
"Who are y---"  
  
"Shh---" the man said in whisper.  
  
"Identify yourself first!" Arwen demanded in a low voice.  
  
"Arwen Evenstar, since the moment Aragorn been stabbed, you are in peril every single second," the man replied, "and under my master's command, I'm in charge to protect you from dangers."  
  
"How did you know so many things, and who is your master?" Arwen asked coldly, "by the way, how can I trust you?"  
  
"I---" the man was interrupted by the noise of the troops of Gondor. The guards outside the hall had seen the bright flame, and reported in a great haste. The soldiers of Gondor were now right before the gate.  
  
"The mysteries would be unfold in time, but now I must go! Beware and I'll meet you soon!" the man vanished just in time.  
  
"Ah--! Queen Arwen! Veindius at your service." The lieutenant of the guards gasped as he saw Arwen stood in the hall. If the Queen harmed, it would be his responsibility. He immediately knelt down before the Queen.  
  
"What's all these about, Veindius?" back to her conscious Arwen asked quietly, although there were still amazement in her eyes.  
  
"The guards say that there was lightning in the hall?" Veindius asked in hesitate. He was feeling idiotic inside himself: how could there be lightning in the hall?!  
  
"Ha-ha!" Arwen laughed lightly, pretending she didn't know anything about it, "lightning?! How could there be lightning hither?"  
  
"But---"  
  
"No need to worry about the 'lightning', you can go and rest now." 


End file.
